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Wind tower collapses near Rochester, 2 injured

Two construction workers were injured Friday in Rochester Township when the wind tower they were assembling collapsed, authorities said.

One of the workers was seriously injured and was airlifted to St. Marys Medical Center in Rochester, said Steve Belau, deputy chief of the Rochester Fire Department. The other was transported to the hospital by ambulance, he said.

Belau said the incident happened in Southwest Rochester Township, which is located southwest of Rochester. A crane working on the tower lost its grip, causing the tower to fall, he said.

He said the wind tower was to be one of the first constructed in Olmsted County.

The Rochester Post-Bulletin reported the wind tower was being built to supply a rural home with electricity. It was to be 160 feet tall, the newspaper reported.

Belau said the Occupational Safety and Health Administration will investigate the incident.

Editor's note: Renewable Energy SD, the company installing the wind turbine, later issued a press release denying that the tower collapsed. Officials said a section of the tower rolled on top of two workers, who both suffered cracked pelvises. Both were expected to fully recover.